Life Changing
by Aaiero
Summary: Life changes, the world shifts, and destiny ties together the strangest of people. When Yi Won Boarding School opens its doors for its 150th year, eight students find themselves gifted with power. Power, that should never have been revealed. Modern AU
1. The Boy in the Bus

**Author Note:** This is an idea I've had for awhile, and I'm not sure if it's too good, so no flames ok? I'd really appreciate the reviews, and tell me if I should keep going. Enjoy!

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Avatar. Simple enough?

* * *

The girl shivered suddenly, rubbing her exposed arms in a desperate attempt for warmth, but to no avail.

_Maybe dad was right. It's too cold for tank tops…_

At the thought of her father the girl's throat constricted.

_Has it really been two years since the last time I've seen him…_

She glanced around the dimly lit bus to clear her mind, the excitement she felt three and a half hours ago completely drained.

Yi' Won was the biggest boarding school in the world, with students attending from every nation. Its academic records were outstanding; its athletic wins difficult to compete with. And yet, the concept of updating a simple bus somehow eluded them.

_At least give it a decent paint job, for Spirit's sake! The dull blue isn't working. _

The fourteen year old slowly blew on her freezing hands.

Perhaps her brother was right in grabbing a sweat jacket at the last second… and if it were possible, did it just get colder?

The girl stared at the boy in question sitting beside her on the two person bus seat. He was noisily rummaging through his messenger bag, papers and wrappers falling out only to be stuffed back.

She rolled her icy blue eyes at her brother's ridiculous antics. But that was what made him special; what brought a smile out of her when she was sad, who held her close when she was afraid; her brother was her anchor and even though he was slightly annoying at times and they had their fights, she loved him deeply.

Finally, after a few moments of searching through a sea of un-organization, her brother found what he was looking for: a pencil, which he held like a trophy over his head.

_If you could find anything in that bag of his, _The girl mused to herself, _it should be considered a victory_

"Watch and learn, Katara." The girl's older brother announced, poking his younger sibling in the ribs. "This takes skill."

Katara gave her brother a sarcastic grin. "Maybe you should find some, Sokka."

The boy ignored the snide comment, and took a breath as a look of complete concentration took over his face.

Katara held back a giggle at the absurdity of it all.

Why couldn't the Spirits have blessed her with a normal brother who did normal things?

Snapping his clear blue eyes open, he attempted to make the pencil in his hand spin around his tan fingers, but failing miserably as it banged against the glass window beside him and landed in his lap. It stared up at him, as if to mock him.

Sokka grasped the pencil tighter and tried again, groaning as the pencil refused his wishes of an interesting trick.

With one last grunt of anger, Sokka threw the pencil to the ground and watched it roll under the seat and out of view.

He glanced out the grimy window (now with a notable pencil mark). "I didn't really want to do it… It was weird anyway…"

"Weird?" Katara asked, arms folded over her chest. She watched her brother roll up his sleeve and flex his arm, making faces of pride the whole time. "No… weird, is making muscles at myself every time I see my reflection in a window."

She watched in satisfaction as Sokka's face turned from one of shock, then of frustration.

He turned towards her, glaring. "Hey I wa-"

Suddenly, the bus lurched forward, sending the siblings crashing into the seat in front of them.

Screams of terror and of plain confusion aroused in the small bus, mixing with the distant sound of gravel under the tires.

Sokka grabbed Katara's upper arm in one hand and the corner of the seat in the other, as his sister nearly tumbled to the ground from another jolt.

The bus bounced and the two clung to each other, eyes wide in uncertainty.

Katara grinded her teeth as she was jumped up and down in her seat.

_Are we crashing? There was so much I still had to do! I can't die on this stupid bus!_

The vehicle stopped with an abrupt halt, sending Sokka's dindgy blue hoodie over his head and coating his world in darkness.

Katara buried her face into her brother's arm, shaking slightly.

Sokka placed a protective arm around his quivering sister, trying to control his own panic as well.

"Are we dead yet?" He asked, slowly pushing the hood of his sweat jacket back, afraid of what he may see.

Katara sat up, hands clenched and still trembling.

Unshed tears seemed to keep her from speaking and when she pushed past the lump in her throat; her voice was horse from the screaming that occurred. "I-I don't think so…"

The mechanic sound of the rusty bus doors caused Sokka and Katara to leap an inch out of their skins. It seemed so un-naturally loud after what just happened. The noise echoed in the bus as the riders sat stone still.

"Alright, Yi' Won! Everyone out, and remember your stuff! I ain't delivering if any of you forgot." The crabby bus driver shouted, staring down the teenagers with an eye of an experienced executioner.

Sokka's cheeks flushed a bright red at the mention of last year's incident.

Two weeks… no clean underwear… a man can only endure so much…

Sokka sent a quick thanks to the heavens for a postal system.

After an instant of silence as the riders examined themselves for injuries, there was a mad dash for the door as students grabbed their things and rushed eagerly to escape the screaming metal death trap.

Katara watched them leave, a sigh escaping her lips.

There weren't many people on the bus, but from what she remembered, they were all returning for another year at Yi' Won.

There was a tallish girl with light brown hair near the front. She was clad in a green sporty tank top, a little yellow emblem sewed over the heart of the shirt. She had sat near her friends, all sporting the same shirt, but with not as an impressive looking insignia. They were the Kyoshi Warriors, the school's resident girl Karate team. And the girl, Suki, was their captain.

Katara smiled in recognition as the team left the bus.

The rest of the students Katara didn't really know as well as the Kyoshi Warriors, but they were all familiar. Some kids were from where she herself lived, the rest arrived at different pick ups she didn't care to remember.

But one thing connected every student on the bus. They were all from the South.

Sokka stood shakily, messenger bag slung over his shoulder and duffel tucked under an arm. "I'm not gonna forget my stuff, Katara. Not this time…"

Katara quietly noted her brother's ever growing paranoia as she grabbed her own light blue duffel and scooted into the aisle, ready to leave, but Sokka stopped her by placing a hand on her shoulder.

"Hey, who's that?" He said in a hushed whisper, head gesturing towards the back of the bus.

Katara turned, her long brown braid whacking her face rather harshly, but she hardly noticed. Her full attention was focused on the small body whose chest rose and fell in an even pattern.

Just barely visible over the tops of the seats was a boy, no more than twelve with shaggy black hair and pale in complexion.

He sported a too big light brown hat that fell over his eyes, a bright orange t-shirt, a yellow sweat jacket, and brown baggy shorts.

Katara raised her eye brow in confusion.

_Is he… sleeping?_

Indeed, the young boy was sound asleep, a small snore escaping ever so often.

"Is he asleep?" Sokka asked incuriously, echoing his sister's thoughts.

Katara threw her bag at her brother, who caught it, but just barely.

"Hold my stuff. I'm going to wake him up." She commanded, marching down the aisle and towards the sleeping figure.

"Aw… Katara! I want to go before all the good rooms are taken. I don't want a repeat of last year… Katara… Katara, are you even listening to me?"

He threw the bags down on the seat, and joined his sister at the back of the bus.

He casted a wary glance at the bus driver, who had his feet up on the dash board and hand folded over his protruding stomach. A loud nasally snore escaped his large mouth, which was better than what he usually yelled at them. Sokka let out a quick sigh of relief, but was troubled as he saw his sister approach the resting student, a hand reached out to shake his shoulders.

"Katara, let's just go. Leave the kid!" Sokka said, grasping at his sister's arm as he tried fruitlessly to drag her away.

She pulled away and shot a powerful scowl in his direction. "If someone finds out about this, you know what will happen. He'll be bullied mercilessly… not to mention what the driver would say. We have to help him. Besides, I think he's a first year. It's the least we can do."

Sokka set his jaw at his sister's stubbornness. "No, the least we could do is leave, which is exactly what I'm gonna do! If you want to go waste your time with some random, strange kid. Be my guest. I'm hungry, and I'm out of here before we get yelled at."

Katara's eyes narrowed dangerously, and she slammed her fists downward. "Sokka,

y-you are the most self-absorbed, immature, nut brain… I'm embarrassed to be related to you! If you want to run off, go. I don't care."

Sokka backed away from the angry girl, knowing from experience not to stray too close. "Fine, fine… I'll stay. Geez, we gotta work on your anger, Katara."

Katara sighed. "You're unbelievable…"

Her words trailed off when she examined the boy in closer detail. His legs were crossed, hands in fists on his laps.

_What an odd sleeping position…_

Her lips turned in a motherly smile as she reached over to shake him awake, but was once again pulled back.

"Sokka! What now?" She asked, hands on her hips as she stared her brother down. "What could possibly be wrong now?"

Sokka held another pencil in his grasp and a wary expression on his face. "Katara, you don't know what that thing is."

"It's not a thing, it's a boy… and where did you get that pencil?"

"Shh…." Sokka commanded, placing a thin index finger over his mouth.

He began to poke the child in the stomach with the tip of the pencil, but the kid gave no response other than a low moan.

It was Katara's turn to yank her brother back. "Really Sokka? Really? Poking him?"

"Hey, I just want to make sure your safe. I promised dad tha-"

"It's a little kid! I think I'm well protected. Now, are you done?"

Sokka fell back behind his sister, still staring at the sleeping figure, waiting for a sign that he may attack. "Yea, I'm good… go ahead. Wake him up now."

A moment of silence fell as he rolled the pencil between his forefinger and thumb. "Do you want to use my pencil…"

"No!"

"Ok, Ok… no need to blow up about it…"

Katara squatted near the ground so her eyes were leveled with the boy's head. She placed a hand gently on his cold face. "Hey… wakey, wakey. Come on, it's time to go. Are you ok?"

The boy turned his head, as if trying to shake himself from a terrible nightmare. "Ugh…"

Katara stood and pushed his hat back, silently checking for a fever and repeated her question as the boy's eyes seemed to close tighter. "Are you ok?"

His eyes flickered open and he gasped slightly, eyes locked onto Katara's.

He sat up suddenly, startling Sokka who put up his hands in defense and held his pencil as if a weapon.

The boy rubbed his neck, glancing between the two siblings that stared at him nervously. "What's going on here?"

"You tell us!" Sokka nearly screamed in his face. "What were you doing sleeping on the bus?"

"I… I'm not sure…" the boy answered blearily, rubbing the sleepiness out of his stormy grey eyes. "I guess I was just kinda tired."

He stretched widely, yawning simultaneously. "Man, that ride felt like a hundred years! Uh… how long was I asleep?"

Katara smiled uneasily, helping the boy to his feet. "Awhile, I guess… I haven't seen you around before, first year I presume, otherwise you would've known better than to sleep on the bus. Kids get teased pretty badly around here."

"Eh, getting teased isn't new to me…" He said sadly. His face cleared and a bright smile replaced his grimace, so quickly Katara wasn't sure he ever frowned in the first place. "Thanks for waking me up. Who knows how long I would've slept if you hadn't come."

He reached down to grab his light orange suitcase, which was knocked to the ground during the bus ride.

When he turned back around, he found his hand being shook, and after a second of surprise he returned the gesture with much vigor.

"Well, I'm Katara…"

"Don't tell him your name!"

"… and the paranoid one is my brother, Sokka."

"Don't tell him my name!"

The boy casted an uncertain glance at the teenager standing behind Katara. "Uh…"

Katara nodded in solemn understanding. "It's like I said: paranoid. Anyway, you haven't told us your name."

Katara realized her hand was still clasping the young boy's and she pulled away, blushing slightly.

He took back his own hand more slowly, almost as if in a trance, but he shook his head and he broke free.

"Oh! Sorry. I guess I just spaced out… uh, my name is A… A… Achoo!"

He sneezed loudly, falling back into his seat, his hat somehow still on his head as his bag went flying into Sokka, who cried out in alarm.

The boy immediately jumped to his feet with such speed that Katara took a cautious step back and Sokka yelped in surprise.

"Boy, it's really cold in here!"

Katara fidgeted her hands in impatience. This boy got distracted very easily… but it was kinda cute… in a childish way…

"Yea, it's like an iceberg." Katara answered, watching him zip up his sweat jacket to contain body heat.

The boy nodded slowly. "Well, I'm Aang."

"It's nice to meet yo-"

Sokka pushed past his sister, standing between her and Aang. He clapped his hands in mock joy, his voice thick with sarcasm. "Ooh! Goodie, we're all acquainted!"

His face hardened as he stared down the short, first year student. "Now, if we're all done hugging each other… I think I'm gonna go get my room assignment before you guys start singing Kumbya around a campfire."

Sokka was about to walk down the aisle, but not before shoving a light orange suitcase back into its owner's arms. "I think this bruised my ribs."

He stalked away with his shoulders hunched, picking up his messenger bag and duffel on the way. "Are you comin', Katara?"

Aang gave a huge grin, totally oblivious to Sokka's unexpected hatred. "It was nice to meet you!"

Sokka gave the fakest smile Katara had ever seen. "Likewise."

Katara looked forlornly down at Aang who stood about five inches shorter than herself. "I'm really sorry about him… he's just really over-protective and… hey, Aang?"

Aang's eyes widened, like a child caught daydreaming, which he was, "Huh? Oh, yea, it's alright."

_His attention skills defiantly needed much work…_

"Do you know anyone who's here? Is anyone waiting to show you around?"

"Um… no… you and your brother are the first people I've met so far." The boy answered, shuffling his feet uncomfortably, silently begging the teenage girl wouldn't dive for more information.

Katara's hand seemed to shoot out by itself, and somehow it found its way to Aang's shoulder. It squeezed, care radiated from the simple touch. It took all of Katara's self control to keep shock off her face. After-all, she barely knew this kid… yet she already felt a strange connection to him. She felt the deep need to help him, she felt as if her world shifted and already Aang was beginning to change her life.

"Why don't you come with Sokka and me. We can show you around. Just follow us, and you'll be fine."

"Wow, you'd do that for me? Thanks! I'd really appreciate it." He agreed, staring deeply into Katara's eyes.

Katara forced herself to look away from the strange boy.

_What is wrong with him? And why does he keep looking at me?_

"Uh… why are smiling?" she asked worriedly when Aang's constant staring didn't detour.

_Does he always smile like that? Maybe that bus ride has left him brain damaged… _

Aang shook his head, grey eyes blinking rapidly. "Oh? I was smiling?"

Sokka, who was still waiting for Katara by their bags, groaned and stomped out the door with Aang and his sister in close pursuit.


	2. Shocking News

**Disclaimer: Sadly, I do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender... if I did, Zuko would've found his mom. **

* * *

The trio of newly formed friends walked silently down the worn school path towards the dorms on the other side of the campus, the white stone walls slowly eroding and its brick roof magnificent.

First year students ran uncertainly across the freshly cut grass, a small slip of paper in hand telling them their appropriate rooms, while upper classmen made their way more lazily.

They spoke with their friends and laughed on their cell phones, all of them preoccupied in their own lives.

A certain black haired seventh grader's eyebrows knitted in frustration.

He glared down at his room assignment, rereading for mistakes and gripping the thin paper until his knuckles turned white.

The girl on his right, dark brown hair tied into a braid, glanced at her young partner's perturbed face. Though she only met him about an hour previous, she knew something was wrong with the normally happy boy.

"Uh… are you ok, Aang?"

"This can't be right!" The twelve year old murmured, scratching the back of his neck and readjusting his clench on his orange rolling suitcase.

Katara tried to sneak a peek at Aang's paper, but he crumbled it into a small ball before she got the chance.

"I… I think there's been a mistake." He said, shaking his head in silent protest.

The teenager on the left of Aang, fifteen years in age, snatched the wrinkled sphere from the young boy's fist and flattened it out in his own hands.

He quickly read it to himself before re-crumpling it and stuffing it into his front pocket.

He let out a low groan, giving himself a face palm that left his forehead red. "I'd say!"

The teenager stared at his sister over Aang's head, eyes narrowed in anger. "See Katara, this is exactly why I wanted to get to my room earlier."

He then turned his hard glower on Aang. "This is all _your_ fault!"

"Sokka!" Katara exclaimed, ready to protect her new friend. "Aang didn't do anything!"

"Oh yes he did. He's a little sister loving, bus sleeping, room stealing…"

"Sokka, I'm sorry! I didn't mean to move into your room!" Aang interrupted; eyes wide and shimmering with fear. "I really didn't mean it. I-I'm not even sure how I got into your dorm, much less your room. I'm sorry!"

The group stopped walking at the boy's lengthy, and terrified, apology. A few students who were sitting on nearby benches looked up at the commotion, but otherwise went on with whatever they were doing.

Sokka held his hands in defense, voice dropping a few levels. "Hey, I wasn't really mad. I was just, uh, kidding. You can stay with me if you want. I mean, you and I don't really have a choice or anything."

He kicked hard at a pebble on the path and watched it bounce out of view. "Sure, this year I was supposed to be in a single room… sure I was looking forward to it…"

Katara ignored her brother's grumblings, leaned over and gave Aang a quick one-armed hug. "You're from the Southern Water Tribe? That's great! When did you move in? Why haven't I seen you around back at home?"

Aang shrugged out of the embrace, regretted it a second later, but ignored the flash of red that brightened his cheeks. "That's cause I don't live at the Southern Water Tribe."

Katara drew her arm back, rubbing her lower arm self-consciously. "Then… why are you in our dorm? It's only for people from the Water Tribe… and you came on the South bus, so…"

Aang shrugged. "I live in the South with my foster dad Gyatso. We live at the Air Nomad reserve. I'm an Air Nomad… but, why am I being placed with you in the Water dorm? Did they run out of room at the Air dorm? That's it, huh?"

A look of shock, then pain crossed Katara's face as she turned her eyes down. She was about to answer, but her brother cut in first with a question of his own.

Sokka grabbed Aang by the shoulder and spun him around to face him. "A reserve? _You _live on the Air Nomad reserve? You don't look like the people who live on the reserve."

"But I do!" Aang's eyebrow lifted in confusion. "What's a person who lives on a reserve supposed to look like anyway?"

"Ya know; home made clothing, weird hair styles, not modern in any way!" Sokka responded, making odd hand gestures to go along with his statements.

"Um… no one I know makes their own clothes." Aang laughed. "Are you sure you know what the Air Nomad reserves are like?"

Sokka made the "I'm-watching-you sign" with his fingers before backing off.

"Aang, how long have you known about this school…" Katara asked when the twelve year old turned to face her.

He stared upwards, towards the clear blue sky and bright afternoon sun. "Um… I don't know. Gyatso brought a brochure home about it, like, a month ago."

"How old was that brochure?"

Aang pushed his hands into his deep pockets and toed the dirt by his foot. "I guess about a year old… maybe… why?"

Katara rubbed her tan forehead in nervousness. "I-I think it was more like a hundred years."

"One hundred years?" Aang laughed at his upper classman's suggestion. "Two years is one thing, but a hundred year old brochure? That's crazy. Why would Gyatso pick up a hundred year old brochure?"

Sokka rejoined the conversation, rubbing his chin in thoughtfulness. "This school has been around for almost one hundred fifty years, it's not impossible."

Katara placed a hand on her young friend's slender shoulder. "Aang, this school stopped accepting Air Nomads a hundred years ago. I'm sorry…"

Aang's eyes widened and his jaw hung slack, his face turning paler as if he were about to become violently sick. "A hundred years! I'm the only Air Nomad here?"

"Looks like it buddy. Congratulations!" Sokka said, slapping the boy on the back and bringing an unintentional yelp from the twelve year old.

It was Aang's turn to glare as he rubbed his now sore back.

Katara stepped in hastily, separating the two new roommates. "Sokka, say you're sorry. That was mean."

Aang had to bite his tongue to keep back a giggle, where as Sokka rolled his eyes, not caring that Katara could see his gesture of impatience.

"What are you? Mom?"

Sokka's mouth shut tightly after the words left his lips.

Katara took a step back in shock, water welding up in her eyes.

Her brother let out a deep, long sigh. "I-I wasn't thinking. I'm sorry Katara."

She could only nod slowly, stiffly, not trusting herself to speak.

Aang, a frown suddenly on his face as he questioned the sudden sadness of the Water Tribe siblings, looked up at Sokka when he cleared his throat to speak.

"I guess I should apologize to you too Aang…"

Aang shrugged off his upper classman's words, and a mischievous smile worked its way through. "Don't worry about it Sokka. We're roommates now, right?"

Sokka shifted his messenger bag higher up on his shoulder, suddenly uneasy about the Nomad's strangely happy attitude after being told about the school's discrimination of his people.

"It'll give me plenty of time to get you back." Aang finished, walking away, his suitcase kicking up small rocks as it rolled along.

Even though a positive upbeat attitude seemed to shine through the young boy, the Water Tribe siblings could tell the news of the Air Nomads had shocked him. And as he walked away toward what would be his home for the remainder of the year, a frown broke through his shell as he pondered the reason for the extermination of his people, the Air Nomads, at Yi' Won Boarding School and the reason as to why he, Aang, a fellow Air Nomad, was allowed to attend when others couldn't.

Neither sibling saw, but instead Katara gave a quick glance at her brother and him to her.

"I was thinking brain damage… from the bus ride." Katara answered her brother's unspoken question before they both rushed after the strange, young, seventh grader.


	3. The Water Dorms

Disclaimer: I don't own Avatar: The Last Airbender and that makes me sad...

* * *

The doors of the dorm opened on oiled hinges and Aang's heart sped up.

"Welcome to the Water Tribe."

He barely registered Sokka's proud voice as his eyes tried to drink in everything around him, his brain forgetting the troubling thoughts of Air Nomad discrimination.

A white stone floor echoed his foot steps and rolling suitcase as he walked inside his new home.

The lobby was simple enough, white and blue walls with a banner proclaiming _Water Tribe_ and a large portrait of the Water Tribe's ancient symbol used in the old days.

It smelled of salty water, and Aang felt his eyelids getting heavy.

He hadn't felt this calm in a long time…

Two hallways on opposite sides of the lobby led off to what Aang assumed were the dorms.

He could hear the distant chatter of the Sokka and Katara, and decided to leave them to it.

With the clinking of the plastic wheels of his suitcase bouncing off the stone floor, he turned down the left hallway.

He suddenly felt like he was in heaven.

A soft blue carpet caused his small feet to sink into the floor a good inch or more, the walls held elaborate paintings, mostly flowing lines that melded and grew like waves crashing on the shore.

And as a broad smile began to spread across his face, he was brought crashing down to earth again.

"Aang, what the heck are you doing!"

He was pulled back into the lobby, meeting face to face with an angry Sokka.

All good thoughts seemed to wash away.

"Sokka, stop scaring him!" Katara commanded, whacking her brother's hand off the collar of Aang's shirt.

"D-Did I do something wrong? I thought this was the Water dorms…" Aang tripped over his words.

Somehow, all he could do today was mess everything up.

"You were about to enter Northern Water dorm territory." Sokka hissed, glaring at the left hallway.

He shoved a finger at Aang's chest. "Never. Never. Never, trust the Northern Water Tribe…"

Aang's face screwed up in confusion. "What are you talking about? I thought they were your sister tribe!"

Katara's arms were crossed over her chest, eyes in the same direction of her brother's. "That was a long time ago, Aang."

She shook her head as if breaking a trance. "Things have changed between us… the relationship between our people broke off in not the most friendly of ways."

Before Aang knew what was happening, Sokka was steering him to the hallway on the right.

"Hey, you're from the South, so you're with us." He said, as if the previous conversation never existed. "Let's just pretend you're not Air Nomad."

That was next to impossible.

Aang stood out quite plainly from the Water Tribe siblings.

He had pale skin, gray eyes, and short black hair while Sokka and Katara sported matching blue eyes, mocha skin, and dark brown hair.

An Air Nomad disguised as a Water Tribe member.

Forget it!

He'd be kicked out by the evening.

"Sure…" Aang muttered sarcastically, but the words trailed off when he was led down the Southern Water dorm hallway.

The floors were icy as if in the Artic and a dry, cold breeze blew past Aang, causing him to shiver.

Gone were the beautiful murals on the wall, the plush carpet on the floor.

Each was replaced with a bleak off white color.

Katara gave a sigh, and Aang felt like she too wished for a makeover.

"It may be totally depressing, but its home." Sokka went on, a smile playing across his lips.

Just walking the hallways Aang felt it hard to grin, and that was saying something.

"Uh… what happened?" He asked, trying his best not to sound rude, but the utter disappointment in his voice was painfully clear.

Sokka spun around, now walking backwards. "Nothin'."

"Right…" Aang nodded, now watching the room numbers as they continued their journey.

Sharp pain.

Aang's breathing hitched.

_Not again! _

His vision began to swim before his eyes.

Aang had been having horrible migraines for the past two months.

Migraines that left his heart paralyzed and his body burning.

"You ok?"

The blurred figure of Katara was suddenly at his side.

He did his best to smile through the terrible pain. "I-I'm fine."

Aang realized a tear of agony dropped from his eye. "Just… missing home?"

Sure, he'd sound like a wimp, crying for home, but he didn't want anyone to know about the skull breaking headaches.

And as soon as it came, it had gone.

No traces of the migraine remained.

_Stupid…_

They only last a few seconds, but sometimes to Aang felt like years.

Sokka hadn't even noticed his roommate's distress, and Aang was grateful because now Katara was one-handily hugging his shoulders and offering words of encouragement.

"Thanks Katara…" he managed to mumble before Sokka swung open a dull wood door with a brass handle.

"Welcome to the rest of your life, lil' buddy." He shouted before rushing in.

Katara rolled her eyes, said good-bye to Aang, and continued on her way to the girl's dorm on the second floor.


End file.
